Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 206, the Qian hexagram: Flying Dragon and Overbearing Dragon
No. 23 Xibiaobei Hutong, Beijing, Cheng Family Banquet.

Chen Xiu entered this private restaurant located in a courtyard house. Led by the waiter, she walked across a zigzag bluestone floor and arrived at a vermilion-gate courtyard with craggy rocks, flowing water, and lush golden pine trees.

The waiter who brought him in knocked twice at the door before quietly pushing it open.

"Mr. Chen, please come in."

Seeing this, Chen Xiu understood that the other party could not lead her in, so she nodded and stepped over the threshold.

Upon entering the courtyard, Chen Xiu glanced around the main hall and spotted the person with particularly prominent bone structure next to the octagonal table on the left side of the hall.

With a natural smile, Chen Xiu approached the octagonal table and extended her hand to him.

"Mr. Ma, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hello, you look even younger than I expected."

Hearing these monotonous words, Chen Xiu wanted to say a few more words in response, but Ma Yun's thin, bony hand let go of hers beforehand.

"Come, come, please sit down. It's just the two of us today. I've arranged for the assistants and bodyguards to stay in the next room, so they won't bother us."

After saying that, Ma Yun sat down with an air of nonchalance.

After this brief encounter, Chen Xiu had already formed an initial impression of Ma Yun.

He felt that this person had a strong desire for control, a trait common among successful people, but Ma Yun seemed to exhibit it more than others…

After sitting down, before Chen Xiu could think of anything to say, Ma Yun proactively made two cups of tea, handing one to himself with his left hand and the other to Chen Xiu with his right.

"Mr. Chen, do you read books in your spare time?"

"Forehead……"

Chen Xiu looked at Ma Yun speechlessly, subconsciously feeling that he was just trying to show off by saying such nonsensical things!

And it really was true...

"I've read some books!"

"Oh, not many young people read books these days. I wonder if you've ever heard of the Qian hexagram in the I Ching?"

Ma Yun took a sip of tea, squinted slightly, seemingly waiting for Chen Xiu to ask: "What is the Qian hexagram?" Then he could smoothly begin pouring the tea.

However, things didn't go as planned.

"Qian represents Yang, change, and progress. The four virtues of the Qian hexagram are Yuan, Heng, Li, and Zhen, which are also the essence of the Way of Heaven."

Chen Xiu picked up her teacup and spoke calmly.

He wanted to see what Ma Yun was up to.

"You actually actually saw it?"

"Ha. You've not just read it, you've actually done quite a bit of research on it!"

Ma Yun slowly twirled the teacup, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

His habitual pattern in conversation is to start by talking about some obscure but sophisticated knowledge to confuse the other person, thus allowing him to maintain control of the conversation.

However, this language pattern, which usually works every time, is no longer effective today.

Ma Yun never expected that Chen Xiu, a 23-year-old, would study the I Ching. Even Ma Yun himself only began to understand the I Ching after reading martial arts novels.

After hesitating for a moment, Ma Yun felt that she couldn't be intimidated by Chen Xiu's words and should test the waters again.

"Since Mr. Chen is familiar with the Qian hexagram, why don't you explain the meaning of the ninth line in the fifth position of the Qian hexagram?"

"Nine in the fifth place, the image says: Flying dragon in the sky, it is advantageous to be seen..."

At this point, Chen Xiu suddenly stopped talking and looked at Ma Yun, realizing that he was taking advantage of her.

Seeing Chen Xiu's answer and reaction, Ma Yun realized that he truly understood the I Ching and wasn't just showing off, so he immediately burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Soaring dragon in the sky, it's auspicious to meet a great man! Mr. Chen, don't you think I am that great man?"

"I dare not accept such praise. Mr. Ma is certainly a great man, but I dare not call myself a flying dragon. Even though I have gained some fame and fortune in recent years by taking advantage of the opportunities of the times, I should always be vigilant and walk on thin ice to avoid making any mistakes. Only in this way can I withstand the storms of life."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yun's surprise deepened, and her opinion of Chen Xiu rose even higher.

Having navigated the business world for decades, Ma Yun has encountered countless outstanding individuals.

However, most of these people cannot escape the arrogance that comes with success, and then they are either overtaken by newcomers or bring about their own downfall... They are all not worth a second glance.

Ma Yun was truly surprised that someone like Chen Xiu, who achieved early success and succeeded at everything he did, had no sense of arrogance whatsoever.

"Tsk, Mr. Chen, you're constantly striving and repeating the same principles, the core of which is 'vigilance'!"

"Mr. Ma, you really enjoy studying the Qian hexagram."

Chen Xiu took a sip of tea and said noncommittally.

Realizing that he had indeed rambled on, Ma Yun reluctantly put down his teacup.

"Hehe, when I watched 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' and 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' before, I was quite interested in the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, so I specifically studied the I Ching."

After a brief explanation, Ma Yun, knowing she couldn't show off today, smoothly got down to business.

"Mr. Chen, you mentioned on the phone last time that you wanted to divest your Didi shares. May I ask why?"

"The value has already met my expectations, so what's wrong with realizing it ahead of schedule?"

"You shouldn't be short of money... Is there some better investment opportunity than Didi?" "With investments, who can know whether it's good or bad before the results are in?"

Chen Xiu's answer was watertight, and Ma Yun nodded silently, not pursuing the investment further.

"You asked me for a favor on the phone. Can you tell me what it is now?"

"It's a small matter. If Mr. Ma finds it difficult, I can handle it myself."

This was clearly a provocation, and Ma Yun happened to fall for it.

"Heh, something you can handle shouldn't be too difficult for me. Just tell me!"

“I had a misunderstanding with Mr. Wang from Huayi. He couldn't get anywhere with me, so he turned his attention to the people around me. In my opinion, this kind of thing is too petty. Asking Mr. Ma for help was just to try to end things gracefully. If Mr. Ma thinks it's too trivial to be of interest, I can understand…”

"Wait a moment!"

Ma Yun raised her hand to interrupt, frowning in confusion, "You mean, Wang Zhonglei offended you?"

"Correct!"

"This is really not a big deal. Who is your friend?"

"She's my girlfriend. As for who she is, I doubt Mr. Ma would be interested in knowing."

Ma Yun nodded in sudden realization, finally understanding that Chen Xiu had acted impulsively for the sake of a woman.

He chuckled and thought to himself, "He's still a young man, taking this kind of thing so seriously, but he also has a bit of youthful spirit."

Thinking about this, Ma Yun tapped the table, feeling that this matter was indeed not a big deal, and that he could handle it with just a few words.

"Mr. Chen, let's continue discussing Didi's shares."

"I don't think there's much to discuss regarding Didi's shares."

Meeting Ma Yun's puzzled gaze, Chen Xiu fiddled with his teacup and said frankly, "After Kuaidi and Didi merged, Ali naturally became a major shareholder of Didi. Now that Didi has acquired Uber China, Mr. Ma and I should both know the exact market value."

"That's true. How many shares do you still hold?"

"After dilution, it is 1.2%."

"That's 5 million US dollars..."

Ma Yun pinched her chin, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Didi is still a major strategic investment company for Ali, and the shares held by Chen Xiu are indeed what he wanted. For Ali, 5 million US dollars is just a medium-sized amount.

"Okay! Ahri will take all the shares you have. When are we going to...?"

"Mr. Ma, there's no rush to talk about this."

Chen Xiu raised her hand to interrupt Ma Yun, and then, seeing Ma Yun's momentary hesitation, said:

"As I just said, there's nothing to discuss regarding Didi's shares. The market share is what it is, and the price is what it is. It's a matter of whether you accept it or not."

"What we really need to talk about is the matter of Mr. Wang from Huayi. If Mr. Ma cannot accept my demands, then I will have to turn to Tencent to talk about this deal. Even if their relationship is not as close as that between Mr. Ma and Mr. Wang, they are still major shareholders and will surely give me face."

"Of course, if they also disagree with my request, then I will have to find another buyer for these Didi shares. As for the matter with Huayi, I will also resolve it in my own way. Mr. Ma, I believe you can understand, right?"

Looking at Chen Xiu, who was smiling but whose eyes were unusually cold and resolute.

Ma Yun then realized that today's transaction was merely a prelude to force; if both sides could reach an agreement, that would be ideal.

If that doesn't work, this kid will probably go after Huayi, and the reason he'll do that is because of a female artist... Tsk, Wang Zhonglei is really no good!
From a business perspective, Ma Yun didn't think much of Wang Zhonglei's approach, so he asked, "President Chen, what are your requirements?"

"How about we have another meal? I can just tell Mr. Wang what I need in person. Besides that, I also need him to pour me a drink and apologize in person. Is that alright?"

"It's that simple?"

Ma Yun had expected some more difficult demands, but since it would only cost Wang Zhonglei face, he didn't care. In the end, all he got was an apology.

Chen Xiu's smile remained unchanged: "The matter between me and President Wang can be settled later. My current request is just this."

"Okay! I agree. The dinner is scheduled for tomorrow. If you have any requests, you can tell him in person. Also, he needs to pour you a drink and apologize."

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Chen Xiu clapped her hands lightly twice, then looked at Ma Yun intently and said meaningfully, "Since Mr. Ma understands the Qian hexagram, he must also know the meaning of the top nine."

“The ninth line at the top, the image says: ‘The dragon that has gone too far will have regrets; fullness cannot last long…’” Ma Yun blurted out.

After saying that, he immediately stopped talking and looked at Chen Xiu with a complicated expression.

"Mr. Chen, are you reminding me that everything should be done in moderation, and one should not exhaust one's potential?"

"Does Mr. Ma think he's already soaring to the heavens?"

"Hahaha! If you don't acknowledge yourself as a flying dragon, how can I? Come, come, have some tea."

"This tea is indeed very good."

Chen Xiu raised his cup to clink with Ma Yun's, drinking the tea as if it were wine, but neither of them seemed to mind.

After Chen Xiu took his leave, Ma Yun remained in his seat, slowly turning his teacup and muttering something to himself.

"Not simple, tsk tsk, really not simple..."

(End of this chapter)